Entertainment Weeklyreports that the new season will debut at 9pm on June 30, and will act as a lead-in for Showtime's new series Ray Donovan.

Showtime entertainment president David Nevins claimed that the Dexter team will still have plenty of time to create the best possible season, saying: "They had a lot of advance warning [that this was happening] and they know where they're going. No less production time; a little less vacation time."

He also refused to clarify whether this is the final season, saying: "I'm not making any announcements today about when Dexter will end. I will clarify that before Dexter goes on the air."

He added: "There's a clear end game in place but I can't talk about it just yet… the decision is ultimately a creative decision… Dexter is to Showtime what Batman is to Warner Bros. I want to take care of it."